Median 4-room flat in Hougang at $622,000 needs $168,760 before the loan in 2Q2026

This is an illustrative example built on the quarter's median price and a stated buyer profile. It is not a real purchase, not a valuation of any home, and not advice on whether or how to buy. Every figure in it is computed from recorded transactions and the tax and financing rules recorded as in force.

A first-time citizen buyer of a median 4-room flat in Hougang in 2Q2026 would need $168,760 before the loan, the example shows. The loan limit of $466,500 is set by the loan-to-value cap, a measure built on recorded transactions and not on any valuation.

The buyer is 35, earns $10,000 a month and takes an HDB loan over 25 years. The median price fell 2.6% y-o-y from $638,538, based on data.gov.sg HDB resale records for 143 sales.

Stamp duty on the median is $13,260

Buyer's stamp duty is $13,260. Additional buyer's stamp duty is $0 at a rate of 0%.

No minimum cash applies. The $155,500 is payable in CPF or cash, which takes the total before the loan to $168,760.

The loan-to-value limit sets the loan

The loan-to-value cap of 75% gives a maximum loan of $466,500, or 75.0% of the price. The limit under the total debt servicing ratio is $1,159,820 and under the mortgage servicing ratio $632,629.

The monthly instalment is $2,212 at 3%, or 22.1% of the stated income. The stress rate for the servicing test is also 3%.

Holding for five years costs $103,304 in all

Interest over the five years is $65,115. Property tax and maintenance add $4,830.

Costs going in are $16,530 and costs coming out are $16,830. On those assumptions the price would need to rise 17.0% over the five years to cover the total.

Stamp duty differs sharply by buyer profile

A Singapore citizen buying a second home pays $137,660 in total, with additional stamp duty at 20%. The loan-to-value cap for that buyer is 45.0%.

A permanent resident buying a first home pays $44,360, with additional stamp duty at 5%.

The sales behind Hougang's median

The 143 sales in the quarter had a median size of 93 sqm. The median price per area was $6,452 psm.

The median price a year earlier was $638,538, a change of -2.6%.

At the same price, stamp duty is $13,260 for a citizen buying a first home and $386,460 for a foreigner, whose additional stamp duty is set at 60%.

Method: an illustrative example, not a real purchase. The price is the median of the quarter's recorded sales named. The buyer is a Singapore citizen first-time owner-occupier aged 35. The stated household income is S$10,000 a month, with no other debt. The loan is the maximum, over 25 years at 3%. Stamp duty, loan limits, instalments and the five-year hold cost are computed by this site's position engine under the rules recorded as in force for the quarter. The rule versions used are bsd 2023-02-15, absd 2023-04-27, ssd 2025-07-04, ltv 2024-08-20, tdsr 2022-09-30, property_tax 2025-01-01, costs 2020-01-01. Further assumptions: sale at today's indicative mid value after 5 years. Seller pays 2% commission and S$3,000 legal fees, plus 9% GST. Mortgage interest from a standard amortisation schedule at the given rate. Loan of S$466,500 (75% of the price), the maximum available. Property tax on an assumed annual value of S$13,650 (35% of market rent). Maintenance at the configured norm. Rates are versioned data in config/rules.yaml, checked against IRAS and MAS publications on 2026-09-18. The newest version applied here took effect 2025-07-04. Rules change with each cooling-measure round. Private figures are from URA Data Service caveats, HDB figures from data.gov.sg resale records, both loaded weekly by this site's ingest. Medians are of the non-excluded transactions in the period named. Sales flagged by the hygiene rules (related-party transfers, bulk deals, outliers) are left out. Every figure is indicative and drawn from recorded transactions, not a formal valuation.